Why does Kelly Tilghman get a suspension for her racist remark about Tiger Woods and black people while...?

Question

Dave Seanor, editor of Golfweek magazine, gets fired for putting a picture of a noose on the cover of its most recent issue?

Is this fair?

Answer 1

I think our society like to blow things out of porportion.  There are several states that still have "lynching" on the books as a crime.  The legal description they give is when two or more people gather together in a mob like activity to create bodily harm against an individual.  Now from my understanding that is what she was describing in her comments on how to take down the number one player in the world.  The media was the one that turned the issue into a black/white racial issue.  The media is the one to blame.  Tiger knows that and that was the reason he made his statement about it and has said nothing else since then.  From best I recall, there were lynchings in "old west" long before race came into play.   As long as the media and Rev. Sharpton can make a propaganda box out of anything said to keep their cause in front of the public they will.  What they don't realize, the longer they keep doing what it is they feel they need to do, the longer some people will stay fed up with the issue.  Now granted, Kelly could have made her point across in some other way but when it was said I didn't say a white person was saying this against a black man and think racism.  The editor with Golfweek should have know better.  After the fallout of Kellys' remark, he should have had better judgement than that.

Answer 2

Yes , you are no longer allowed to have your own opinion about  anything . Especially anything to do with black people, who were sold into slavery by their own people , but we wont mention that.

Answer 3

No, racisim is much worse than what Seanor did. But I can see why GolfWeek fired Seanor. He may have created a public distraction, or GolfWeek thought that it was just for attention.

Answer 4

Kelly's remark was so off the cuff and tried to be humorous.  It was taken way out of context.  The Golf Channel management are morons and were looking for a scapegoat especially when Al Sharpton came into the picture.

The Golfweek editor was just stupid, looking for sensationalism which was even more stupid since the magazine isn't even sold in stores.  

Let it die, it's over.

Answer 5

More than likely they were looking to replace him and this gave them a good reason to release him.

Answer 6

What racist remark are you talking about?  Lynching is not racist.

I'm surprised that you believe everything that Al Sharpton says.

Answer 7

Yes, it's fair.   What Kelly said was off the cuff, while the magazine cover was planned.

Answer 8

Premeditation, I suppose.

Kelly's remarks, while lacking in good judgment, were not made in malice.  This is why she was only suspended.

Dave's actions, however, were a premeditated attempt to take advantage of an already inflamed situation.

Answer 9

Cattle rustlers and horse thieves across America are up in arms at Kelly's use of the word "lynch"! Meanwhile, a famous pro golfer who is of mostly Asian decent (Tiger Woods) says it was no big deal. Thennnnnnnn, Rev. Al Sharpton and Jim Brown, two pillars of the moral community (and media spotlight hogs), keep the non-situation fresh in our minds. Let's see... Rev' Al's last hurrah was the Duke Lacrosse team; you were dead on with that one Al. And the last person to take advice from Jim Brown's is now in prison (Maurice Clarrett, on weapons charges). It's just a shame that Kelly Tillghman and Dave Seanor were punished for expressing their Freedom of Speech (however mis-guided and ill-advised it may have been), while Rev. Al and Jim Brown are free to roam America's streets and their mugs are plastered across my TV. Thank God I still have the American Freedom to change the channel!

Answer 10

she needs fired, that is unexcuseable for a person with her job, she only got a susp because she probably sucks a good 9 iron

Answer 11

I honestly do NOT think Kelly's statement was racist ... meaning she would have said the same thing about anyone else young and successful in golf, e.g. Sergio Garcia.

Still, two things:

When you are in the public eye, you just have to forever watch what you say since the simplest statement can even be blown out of proportion. You just can't give yourself the luxury of making a joke and must be able to maintain your self-control.

Secondly, the thought of anyone being lynched in a back alley is not very appealing -- another reason Kelly should not have used that verbiage.

I agree with one of the other Answerers to this question where he says Kelly's remark was on the spur of the moment and not premeditated like the editor of GOLFWEEK whose cover was.

So, 2 weeks' suspension, apologies both to Tiger and the golfing world, and just the sheer embarrassment of a not-so-carefully thought-out remark is what I consider to be punishment enough for Kelly.

Answer 12

The word lynching is not racist, even the N word is not racist if used in it's proper context.  However, when you put those words together with a black person it takes people back to a time and place that most would like to forget.  You don't need to understand it, that is just how it is.  You don't live it so what makes you think you can comment on it with any importance.  Some people are less sensitive than others and some are just out to grandstand.  Just by reading the comments above me, I can tell the majority of you don't know anything about it except what they teach in school and on TV both watered down.  One comment said Tiger is mostly Asian.  How did he come up with that?  His Father was black and his Mother was Asian, sounds 50-50 to me but these are the little excuses we use to down play other peoples sensitivity to issues.  I have never been and never will be a Sharpton fan.  I learned a long time ago not to judge somebody's feelings unless I have lived their lives and walked in their shoes.

Through all the stupid comments, the question has amazingly been answered by a few.  Tilghman made a mistake.  Poor choice of words and got a slap on the wrist.  That Editor has got to be one of the worst idiots roaming this planet.  He knew exactly what he was doing and deserved his fate.

Answer 13

Given that they are employed by two different organisations fairness goes out of the window.

Kelly's remark was badly put, said in a live context in the spur of the moment, whilst Dave Seanor's decision to put a noose on the cover of Golfweek was carefully thought out move which went very wrong.

I think too much is sometimes talked about what is said by commentators a lot of the time, however there are examples where public comment is right (such as when Ron Atkinson said the "N" word during a soccer commentary in the UK).

I personally believe that both punishments were correct.

Answer 14

The noose was out of line! but will someone please explain which words we cannot say. Like lynch, or cracker, watermelon,beans. There has got to be a lot more. This is whacked out people. Oh sorry I said Whack! my bad.

Answer 15

I'm still trying to figure out how Black people claimed "lynching" as their derogatory word.

It is not racist - because a whole lot of white people have been lynched also.

Answer 16

Although Tilghman said some pretty ignorant things, I doubt it was premeditated or planned. Seanor, on the other hand, is the editor and decided to do what he did with forethought in order to create a reaction which was pretty d**n stupid imho.

Answer 17

the noose or a burning cross represent the same thing . it is a visual , spieful insult to any person over the age of 50 . extreme support for a hate group . editor had to go . magazine should be fined heavely . they promated the  KLU KLUX KLAN  . there is no question about that . the magazine published by time-warner . why are they not being held accountable . plus had to cancel my subscription to golf mag .kelly spur of the moment . non offensive